The thermal transfer color recording method mentioned above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,603 (corresponding to Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication SHO 58-140270) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,656 (corresponding to Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication SHO 61-14973).
The disclosed method employs an ink film having ink layers arranged in succession and different from one another in color (e.g. yellow, magenta and cyan). For recording, the ink film and transfer paper in intimate contact therewith are transported in one direction relative to a thermal head. After an image has been recorded in one color, the ink film is transported in the same direction as for recording to position the next ink layer of another color in opposed relation to the thermal head, while the transfer paper having the ink of the first color transferred thereto is transported in a direction opposite to the direction for recording to position the leading end of the recording area thereof again in opposed relation to the thermal head.
When thus transported in directions opposite to each other, the transfer paper bearing the recorded image and the ink film are held in intimate contact with each other, so that the prior-art technique has the problem that the drive means are subjected to greatly varying loads due to the frictional resistance between the paper and the film. Consequently, the paper or the ink film becomes transported improperly to position the image of the second color out of register with the image of the first color. It is also likely that the transferred ink will be removed from the paper by friction.